A 40-year-old cook was electrocuted in the basement of a temple, which was flooded by rain water, in Basaveshwarnagar on Thursday morning.
The victim, S. Shankar, worked at the Sri Sai Baba Mandir. Temple authorities said that he would come to the temple to cook only on Thursdays. Ramesh Dixit, the priest, said that cooking was done in the basement. “Around 6.30 a.m., he finished cooking and we went out for coffee. There was no power at that point. He went back around 7.15 a.m. by which time the power supply had been restored,” he said. Sources in the temple management said Shankar was electrocuted when he went to put a switch on. He was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead.
The Basaveshwarnagar police have registered a case of unnatural death. Shankar leaves behind his wife and two children. A family member said that he was the sole breadwinner.
Members of the Sri Sai Baba Mandir Samithi Trust, which runs the temple, said they would provide Rs. 40,000 as compensation to the family and ensure that his children complete their studies.
Bescom officials suspect that the sump-motor wire must have been the reason for the electrocution.
